Bulletin

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Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 February:  College Production Rehearsals - Strictly Ballroom - 3.05pm to 5pm

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Wednesday 5 February: Academic Assembly - 12midday - 1.00pm

Wednesday 5 February: Ascham Prefect Afternoon Tea - 4pm - 5.30pm

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Thursday 6 February:  Opening College Mass - St Mary's Cathedral - 10am

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Dear Parents and Carers 

The commencement of our new year has brought an abundance of energy back to the College and a delightful soundtrack of reunions of friends separated over the summer holiday. It always is such a privilege to witness the tenderness and care with which Year 7 parents trustingly hand their daughter over to our Pastoral Staff on their first day of high school. 

The Year 7 students looked picture perfect on the day and I hope the school photos taken that day have captured the excitement, anticipation and nervousness that each of the new students was feeling on her first day. 

At our first assembly on Wednesday our College Captains graciously welcomed all new students and staff and then set the scene for the new year ahead and our focus on the value of Service of the Poor. Ellen Ebbs and Mia Chaaya are extraordinarily articulate and insightful young women and I have great confidence they will lead the student body with great courage to be servants of the poor. 

Last evening, we hosted the Year 8 to 11 Information Night and it was good to be starting the year with the full confidence of those who gathered with us. The very strong academic results of 2019 have certainly put “the wind in our sails” as we continue the journey of strengthening our academic culture. 

This year we will be constantly reminding the students that “every lesson, every day” is when they need to be purposefully and personally making positive decisions that create optimal conditions for themselves and others to learn. 

Parents, you too have such an important role here in re-enforcing this message by scheduling non-urgent appointments outside school hours, booking holidays within the scheduled term breaks and strongly encouraging attendance every school day that your daughter is able to responsibly do so. 

I draw your attention to a heritage building restoration project that has commenced today. It involves the restoration of our beautiful Mary Aikenhead Building that runs along Victoria Street. It is estimated this could extend for 30 months as the work is to be done by highly skilled craftsmen. Scaffolding will be built along the Victoria Street footpath and for next week we are asking the girls walking to and from the Station enter at the St Dominics gate. There will be staff at the gate to direct the girls. 

I hope you are able to join us at the Opening College Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral next Thursday 6^th February at 10am. 

Yours sincerely

MRS ANNE FRY
PRINCIPAL

I welcome new and returning families. After days of Staff Professional Learning readying ourselves for the school year, it has been a joy to have our students back amongst us – reconnecting with friends and quickly embracing new classes, new timetables, new people. School years provide great opportunity for new beginnings; I encourage parents and carers to join the dialogue with your daughters about what it is they wish to aspire to in their learning and growing this year. As we give our attention to the theme of Service of the Poor in 2020, we have commenced the year in discussion of what it means to be of service by walking in relationship with others. I thank the students for their warmth and acts of kindness in welcoming new students to our community. I thank the staff for their commitment and hard work in preparing for a robust engagement of the students to start the year.

I thank you the parents and carers of your daughters as you have readied yourselves to partner with us. The opportunity to dialogue with you at last night’s Parent Information Night for Years 7-11 and tonight for Year 7 parents and carers, affirms the benefit of our working together in shaping the lived values of a St Vincent’s College education for your daughter. Please know that a copy of the PowerPoints shown at these Information Nights can be viewed on the College website.

I extend a particular welcome to our new families joining us this year. Our Year 7 students have experienced an orientation to the learning at the College with our inaugural Year 7 Learning Boot Camp. This experience aims to set the students up for positive wellbeing and learning success through familiarisation with the context of our SVC community, develop effective organisation and introduce the students to the learning dispositions and attributes that will inform, transform and empower students in their learning.

All students received a College Diary upon her return to school. To ensure you and your daughter are familiar with College Policies and Procedures please read this information and sign page 47. The responsibilities and expectations we have of our student enable respectful relationships and positive learning for all. Your support of all College procedures is greatly appreciated. The students have returned from the holidays looking impressive in their uniform; please do acknowledge the expectations regarding jewellery and piercings. A reminder that hats are a compulsory uniform item and must be worn to and from school as well as Recess and Lunch. Page 42 and 43 of the Student Diary outlines our particular policies and consequences for breaching College expectations; please ensure you are familiar with the expectations so that we have consistency of understanding and practice. In all we do at St Vincent’s College we seek to support students in accepting responsibility for actions and engaging in behaviours that are respectful and safe for themselves and others. Whilst we engage in dialogue and reflection as we learn, we also support our students and teachers we also have clear consequences that provide consistency and fairness, values appreciated by adolescents and their teachers. 

Whether new or returning parents and carers, I take this opportunity to state how much we value our partnership with you. The vertical House structure of Tutor groups within House enables a continuity of care and communication for students and parents. Please be advised of the following avenues for communication with the College:

• Classroom teacher is the first point of contact when students or parents have a concern or query that is subject specific. The Head of Department is also available to offer guidance.
• Tutor teacher is first point of contact for communication in areas that are more holistic.
• Head of House and College Counsellor are also available for support and advice where necessary.
• Executive Cor Team & College Companion welcome communication in our various portfolios.

My very best wishes to you and your families for 2020.

MRS ELIZABETH BROOKS
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL, PASTORAL CARE

The 2020 Academic year is indeed off to a buzzing and very positive start. My colleagues have been planning meticulously for weeks our students arriving on Wednesday and with their sparkling uniforms and happy smiles, we were so glad to see their return. Our Year 7 students are settling in beautifully and we warmly welcome all of our new families into our College community. Buoyed by the Class of 2019’s outstanding HSC results, our learning culture is invigorated. The spinnaker is up and we have full wind in our sails! As a community of learners we are propelled by the successes of last year to continue to inspire and motivate us all - students and staff to give 100% of our commitment to learning - ‘every lesson, every day.’

Our students have settled back into their daily routines and study schedules as the summer break becomes a mere faint memory now.  As it was a most unique summer for all of us in NSW, I continue to pray for all of those in the community who have been affected by the recent fires and continued drought, or who like myself, may have lost a loved one. I pray especially for the Salecich and Martin families. I do thank the community wholeheartedly for the very many expressions of condolences you have offered myself and my family, for the passing of my mother-in-law Margaret Mano - may she rest in perpetual peace. 

At SVC, we promote lifelong learning with our teachers modelling the essential 21st century learning attributes of: Creativity, Critical Thinking and Collaboration. We achieve this by promoting a balance between pastoral and academic care, where each student enjoys a mutually respectful relationship with her teachers as they interact together to inform and transform learning. Feedback is powerful in learning and our common assessment template and standardised feedback model empowers the learner informing each student of the outcomes they have achieved, transforming the students’ learning through skills-specific advice about how to improve on areas of weakness and finally empowering our students to reflect and action this feedback for growth. Incidentally, all students will receive their Assessment Handbooks for 2020, inclusive of our College Assessment Policy, at the end of Week 3 and Assessment Schedules Years 7-12 will be visible on the new College website. I will send all parents emails alerting this. 

For our new and existing families, I would like to briefly outline our Class Construction process for Years 7-10 (Stages 4 and 5). The Class Construction process begins early in Term 4, after subject selection data is firmly embedded into our data base. The College Leadership Team then embarks on a holistic understanding of your child as a learner and where she is best placed to be nurtured in her academic and pastoral needs for each class dynamic. ‘Dynamic’ is the operative word here as our Class Construction is based on placing dynamics of students in like-ability clustered arrangements across all of the classes in each year. We do not stream our classes in a numbering system from Class 1 to 5 for example, but there may well be many students of similar demonstrated ability and smaller numbers of high potential or supported learners in any class dynamic. Thus the classes offer a differentiated approached to learning where our talented practitioners nurture and grow each student’s learning from the very step/tier of learning they begin from. This an upward growth model underpins our pedagogical framework. We ‘know our students and how they learn’ (A key standard form the NSW Education Standards Authority - NESA) and at SVC we deeply care about them as individual people as much as learners and thus we promote growth of the whole person, informed and transformed by her learnings in the SVC curricula and empowered by the Vinnies spirit to be a critically thinking, collaborate and compassionate global citizens of the future.

In all that we do at the College we aspire to promote a learning culture that supports your daughter to achieve her fullest potential as a a confident, articulate and compassionate young woman. To help us get to this destination is a talented team who I have the pleasure of working with every day to ensure that your daughter’s learning needs are met and her learning flourishes. Please do not hesitate as we continue to steer the ship of our learning culture to contact us with any concerns about your child’s learning as it is very important for our newest, as well as our existing families, to know we are here to listen to you. In the first instance, an email to your child’s teacher and then from there the Heads of Departments oversee bigger picture learning priorities with myself. I always welcome any questions or conversation about your daughter’s learning at the College and the best way to communicate with me is by email at manoj@stvincents.nsw.edu.au or call Reception on 9368 1611.

Here's to a dynamic year of learning in our Year of Service of the Poor - every lesson, every day. 

MRS JASMIN MANO
DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Our students returned today. 

We have worked toward their return for 2 weeks now, and it is lovely to finally see them arrive carrying their books, bags, laptops and armed with stories to tell of their many adventures over the Christmas break.  

Sadly, for many of our community there was no break, and the stories they have to tell are of loss and fear.  It is up to us to listen carefully and in consultation to find the best ways to respond to, and support our community.  

Our students will want to engage in an active, meaningful response to the sufferings of their fellow students, our land, its people and its animals.  This comes from a desire for justice, a humility that seeks to serve, and a determination that things must change. There is a sense in our land that this Summer marks a drastic and permanent change. 

I spent the break driving from Sydney to Perth and back.  It was the quintessential family holiday; 6 people in a car, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, watching the landscape change hour by hour. 

Ours is a very big country. 

The deep-breath beauty of the ‘middle’ in its relentless ‘flatness’ is something to treasure.  

We explored the limestone cave system under the Nullarbor and swam with sharks and mantarays in Ningaloo Reef.  We played the largest golf course in the world - tee off in South Australia and finish the 18^th hole in Western Australia.  

We waited for fires to run their course so that roads could open, floods to abate and cyclones to blow themselves out.  We watched in horror at the news, seeing the paradise of Kangaroo Island destroyed, when we’d been there just days before.  

We experienced 50 degree heat and shared our water with kangaroos too hot to move out of the way of the car. 

Ours is a big, big, land. 

I’m thrilled to be in the role as Director of Faith and Mission.  This term I will meet with the teams of staff and students who make Faith and Mission a tangible thing at Vinnies.  I want to hear their stories and ideas and understand their experiences.  

We will ask how we can aim for the Magis - not just doing more but being more.  Our student leaders have already thought about this and suggested that perhaps we should aim to do less but do it really well.  They are enlivened by our value this year: Service of the Poor. They want to do it really well.  That’s inspiring.  

I have already heard stories of the Immersion to Tanzania, the strange and the familiar, and the extraordinary experiences of the immersion to Lake Mungo. To look at and even pick up evidence of 110,000 years of human habitation at Lake Mungo is baffling, and deeply humbling. More on that to come. 

We are in the throes of preparing for our Opening School Mass next Thursday 6^th February, 10am at St Mary’s Cathedral. Judging by the singing practices today our students will celebrate with overwhelming enthusiasm.  Parents, carers, families and friends are very welcome to join us for Mass. 

We are ready to go for 2020.

JO KENDERES
DIRECTOR OF FAITH AND MISSION

The beginning of a school year always brings joy and happiness with new beginnings and, for some, it brings challenges with starting boarding for the first time. We welcomed 9 new boarders this year - 6 Year 7s and 3 Year 11s. Our newly introduced Boarder Parents' Association (BPA) hosted a Welcome BBQ in the boarders' courtyard and it was a huge hit! Thank you to Justin Roach, Tony Quinn and Nelson Kelly for being great cooks.

This weekend is our first In Weekend for the year where our focus, particularly on Friday, will be on the St Vincent's College 2020 value of Service of the Poor as a community to determine our aim for the year. I look forward to seeing what brainstorming the boarders come up with. 

Yours in Boarding

MS MARYANNE O'DONOGHUE
DIRECTOR OF BOARDING

STUDY WORKSHOPS
InspirED’s HSC Kickstart Seminars
Macquarie University will host InspirED’s these seminars in February. These sessions provide Senior students with a detailed, in-depth understanding of what HSC Markers are looking for, address key content within each core/module and give you access to potential HSC questions and answers/solutions. Cost is $25 for 1.5 hours. Registration  is essential please use the following link here.

MEDICINE RESOURCES
UCAT WORKSHOPS
In February and March, a number of free UCAT workshops will be run on the weekends to give students a better understanding of the UCAT, explain important insights from the 2019 exam, and provide timelines for test preparation during Term 1 & 2. To sign up for a free workshop register here. 

STUDY MEDICINE
MEDICINE APPLICATION DEADLINES FEB 2020
Students interested in studying Medicine can find the latest deadline information in Study Medicine
A fully detailed list of February university deadlines for all Australian medicine degrees and degrees leading to medicine for entry in 2020 and 2021 can be downloaded by subscribing to Study Medicine. 

UNIVERSITY NEWS

MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
YEAR 10 SUBJECT SELECTION INFORMATION EVENING
On Wednesday 6 May Macquarie University are hosting a Year 10 subject selection information evening. This evening will provide attendees with information about how subjects for the HSC can impact university studies.  You will also learn about adjustment factors, assumed knowledge, university admission and scholarship processes. Register here. 

YEAR 12 INFORMATION EVENINGS
On May 19 & 20 Macquarie University are hosting Information Evenings. The evenings will consist of a series of short talks featuring current students and an exhibition where representatives from the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) and our Future Students team will be on hand to answer questions. Register here. 

SCHOOL HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS
COCHLEAR AUTUMN SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING (20-24 APRIL)
This program runs for 5 Days and is suitable for Year 11&12 students studying Adv/Ext Maths; Physics/Chemistry. As part of the program you will visit 5 x Universities & 5 x organisations; meet Engineers; Graduates and University Students & Lecturers. Learn about opportunities and career paths. For more information please email: stemnsw@engineersaustralia.org.au..

HELEN MARSHALL
CAREERS ADVISER

PERFORMING ARTS – CO-CURRICULAR TUITION AND ENSEMBLES

St Vincent’s College Performing Arts includes Dance, Drama and Music. Students are offered the opportunity to enrol in co-curricular tuition and ensemble groups.

Co-Curricular lessons are individual or small group tuition that runs during the College day. Classes are available in Contemporary Dance, Singing, Speech and Drama and numerous musical instruments. Please check the College website for more information and the enrolment form or contact Ms Peoples via email peoplesb@stvincents.nsw.edu.au with any questions.

Please note: Students must re-enrol each year.

Ensemble groups are held before school, during lunch and after school. All ensembles are group lessons, with learning based on skill building and performance.  The ensembles available and the times they are held are listed below:

DANCE

Ballet Ensemble – 2 ensembles - Tuesday and Thursday morning 7.40am – 8.30am

Jazz Dance Ensemble - 5 ensembles – Monday to Friday afternoon 3.15-4.15pm

DRAMA

Junior Theatresports – Wednesday lunchtime

Senior Theatresports – Tuesday lunchtime

MUSIC

Choir – Wednesday morning 7.30-8.30am

Jazz Band – Monday afternoon 3.15-4.15pm

Orchestra – Thursday morning 7.30-8.30am

Rock Band – Seniors - Wednesday lunchtime

                      Juniors - Thursday lunchtime

Strings - Monday morning 7.30-8.30am

Ukulele – Monday lunchtime

DANCE ENSEMBLE AUDITION DATES 2020

All students interested MUST register for the audition via the college website before Monday 3rd February.

Ballet Ensemble- Tuesday 4th February 7:30am-8:30am Tarmons Dance Studio

Jazz Dance Ensemble - Wednesday 5th February 3:15pm-4:30pm College Hall 

Students are required to bring appropriate dance attire and water to the auditions.

Students do not need to prepare a routine for the audition but must be prepared to learn small sequences on the day.

Please check the College website for more information and enrolment form or contact Ms Peoples via email peoplesb@stvincents.nsw.edu.au with any questions. Enrolments for ensembles close MONDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2020.

Sport Staff Contacts for Term 1 2020:

Co-ordinator of Sport:  Ms Jacinta Jacobs:  0418 416 663 / jacobsj@stvincents.nsw.edu.au
Head of Tennis  -  Ms Therese Taylor    0408 711881
Head of Touch  -  Ms Elyse Harmanis   0434 610870
Head of Water polo  -  Ms Hayley Boatswain  0404 267554
Head of Swimming/Cross Country - Ms Jacinta Jacobs   0418 416663

Website details:   www.stvincents.nsw.edu.au/sport
For all draw and venue information go to:   www.stvincents.nsw.edu.au/sport/weekly-sports-draw/

TERM 1 SPORT

Welcome to Sport at St Vincent’s College for 2020.

The Sports Office is located in the PDHPE Office near the pool, however all the sports information will be posted on the noticeboards on the ground floor of Garcia and also on the College website under Sport. Please contact Ms Jacobs if you have any questions or problems.

Sport is not compulsory at the College however we do encourage the girls to play in at least one Term each year to meet new friends and develop team spirit.  If your daughter registers for a team and is selected, she is then committed to all training sessions and matches and to pay the necessary fees.

Coaches will mark rolls at every training session and match. These rolls will be checked with our new Head of each Sport. If a student has an unexplained absence on more than two occasions, then she will be required to have a meeting with the Coordinator of Sport and may not be permitted to participate in sport in the subsequent term.

IGSSA SATURDAY and TILDESLEY TENNIS

It’s always a great time of year, jumping into the first term of school, and activities.  A new year and a fresh slate... and it’s tennis time all over Australia, but more importantly for the tennis girls of St Vincent’s, it’s Tildesley and IGSSA time. Any new players to the College, we welcome you to come along to a Tildesley training session on Monday or Thursday afternoons to have a trial as the team is not finalised.

The IGSSA Competition starts on February 8th. The draw can be found on the college website once it is finalised.  Please remember that you are in a team and there is no “I” in “Team” and that you must communicate with the rest of your team and your coach.  Remember to arrive well ahead of time (30 mins) for all your games and be supportive of your team members.  Always wear a hat and sunscreen and have plenty of water and nutrition and most importantly don’t forget your racquet.  We are excited to announce that IGSSA are using the Vinnie’s courts this year, so please help our convenor Ms Gemma Thompson by being punctual and helping the other teams if they need any assistance finding the bathrooms and bubblers etc.

Any questions please have a look on the College website and if still unsure contact me on: therese.taylor@icloud.com

MS THERESE TAYLOR
HEAD TENNIS COACH

TOUCH

Welcome players and parents to the 2020 Touch Football season. Congratulations on the efforts on the first week at training for those who read their emails. Everyone is constantly learning, supporting their team mates and judging by the buzz and enthusiasm are enjoying Touch Football as a sport.

To update you all, the coaches and I are working very hard to instill an environment of team positivity, encouragement and respect. This is in line with the Vinnies Spirit. As a result, the standard of touch football has indicated to me early, that Vinnies is going to have a great season ahead. The standard of Touch is very high at the College, with many improving players and a lot of the younger players featuring heavily in the senior teams. Providing this sense of dedication and aspiration stays strong, we should see in the long-term plans that Touch Football at St. Vincent College will flourish.

As a part of the future plans of the program, I have enlisted the help of some very good coaches this season. A good mix of experienced national level coaches and young enthusiastic ex Vinnies players. Together we will be providing the best knowledge and experience for the players ready for a fantastic season ahead. 

The Senior First’s are the only team to have a game this Saturday – February 1, with all other teams commencing the following Saturday – February 8. Any questions please have a look on the College website and if still unsure contact me on: elyse.harmanis@gmail.com

MS ELYSE HARMANIS
HEAD COACH OF TOUCH

WATERPOLO

This term of water polo is about to get underway with first training sessions this week for Year 7 and games starting on Saturday February 8. This term we have 9 teams competing in Term 1 water polo and have a team entered in every division. This year we are in the Eastern Suburbs School Girls (ESSG) competition again. This will bring some exciting new rivalries and a great change, to really challenge the girls this Term.

It’s looking to be a positive start to the comp with each team striving to train hard every week and to really build strength and fitness throughout the term. The teams to watch in Term 1 water polo are always our young Year 7s in their first term of water polo here at St Vincent's. We look forward to the start of a new competition and good luck to all teams.

The team lists and training times as well as the draw is on the College website and also on the Sports Noticeboards in Garcia.

Remember there is no wet weather number for water polo you must turn up at the venue and it will only be delayed if lightning occurs at outdoor venues.  Please remember that at public pools charge an entry fee for each player and spectator.  No school venues have entry fees. 

Any questions please look on the college website and if still unsure contact me on: hayleyboatswain@gmail.com

MS HAYLEY BOATSWAIN
HEAD WATER POLO COACH

SWIMMING TRAINING AND IGSSA SWIMMING CARNIVAL

All Year 7PDHPE classes will be completing swimming trials over the next week, mainly to get times for our new students who missed the College swimming carnival in term 4. These times will give the sports staff an indication of who should be in the IGSSA Team, along with those who have already been selected from the Main Carnival. There will be some swim-offs for the good year 7s against the selected 13 year old year 8s ,on Friday February 26 at lunchtime and more information will be emailed to these girls.

The IGSSA Carnival is being held on Friday March 6 at Homebush Aquatic Centre and there will be a meeting/relay session for all squad members at lunchtime on Wednesday Mach 4. Jesse Clare, our  Swimming Coach is running sessions on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 7.00am – 8.00am for any keen swimmers. The enrolment form can be found on the College Website under Sport/Swimming. All levels are catered for and you can come to one or all sessions. IGSSA Squad members must be coming to at least two sessions/week unless they are already in a squad outside of school.

IGSSA SWIM SQUAD 2020

Juniors

Yr 7s TBC

Apanie Pow

Evie Ellis

Olivia Murray

Ruby Etherington

Elliane Davies

Charlie Bennett

Intermediates

Gabrielle Austin

Lexi Tate

Siara Ortolani

Molly Whitely

Alexis Graham

Sarah Fitzgerald

Amy Anderson 

Ruby Salmon - Reserve

Seniors

Maddison Neill

Stella Holt

Gemma Fitzgerald

Alexandra Schacht

Matilda Emery

Emma Iorfino

Ricci Long - Reserve

Mia Glasel - Reserve

TERM 2 SPORT REGISTRATIONS

Registrations open for Term 2 Sport are open. These online registrations are due by 3pm Friday February 21. Students can select from IGSSA Soccer, IGSSA Basketball, SEHA Hockey and Wednesday Netball at St Catherine’s.  Year 7 Netball next term will be a skills Development and mini games at SVC on Thursday afternoons.

Netball is organised by Kat McGrath our excellent coach and she really does run a great development program. Term 2 Netball is all about getting ready for the big IGSSA Comp in Term 3 and will concentrate on Fitness and Skill development. The girls respect that she expects a lot from them but in return everything is organised for them to enable enjoyment of the game.

To register you need to go on to the College website  http://www.stvincents.nsw.edu.au, Click on Sport, then click Term 2 Regos.  You will need to know your student ID and email address. If you have any problems doing this, please contact the Sports Department immediately.

SPORT STARS

Please keep the Sport staff informed of any good sporting results held outside of the College.  Information and photos can be emailed to jacobsj@stvincents.nsw.edu.au

Congratulations to Lani Bresnahan year 11 who was selected in the Australian under 17s Oz Tag team to compete against New Zealand in a Trans-Tasman series. The tournament is in Auckland at the start of April. Well done Lani!

MS JACINTA JACOBS
CO-ORDINATOR OF SPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

A warm welcome to our new and returning families on behalf of the P&F Committee. 

We have an exciting year ahead, starting with our Welcome Cocktail Party on Saturday 15^th February, tickets available at this link in the flyer below. 

I would like extend an invitation to our first P&F meeting for the year on Tuesday 24 March at 6.00pm. This is a great opportunity to join us and contribute to our community.  

Meetings for the year will be held Tuesdays on: 

• 24 March (AGM) 
• 19 May 
• 11 August 
• 10 November   

All at Bethania, starting from 6:00pm.  

I look forward to a terrific year- please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to know more about our P&F plans. 

KATHERINE AITKEN
PRESIDENT P&F